Page 8 - Aerotech News and Review, July 8, 2022

High Desert Hangar Stories
The YB-49 flying wing on a ‘corner in Winslow, Arizona’
by Bob Alvis
special to Aerotech News
As I was checking into the La Posada ho- tel in Winslow, Ariz., little did I know that history of flight test in aviation was already there waiting for me. I now uncover the part it played at a small airfield, a steppingstone for many greats from the early years of aviation.
As my wife and I carried our bags to the room, I paused to see photos of all those who had stayed here many years ago and I com- mented on how many of them had connections to our Antelope Valley. As we settled in, we realized we were in the presence of the spirits that we constantly talk about while retelling Antelope Valley history.
But one story that these walls were keep- ing secret would soon come to life when a chance sighting of an old photo had me think- ing about an old friend, the late Bob Cardenas, and the stories he shared about the early days of the YB-49 flying wing test program and his historic speed run to Washington, D.C., and a famous picture of him flying the wing down Pennsylvania Avenue.
There on the wall, in the hotel’s hall was a picture at the Lindenberg/Winslow Airport and a YB-49 sitting on the ramp with some people milling about. My mind started to reboot a bit and I remembered an aspect of that famous trip to Washington and back to Muroc, that had some drama to it, and here I was visiting the location where flyover country became cen- ter stage to the occurrences that took place on Feb.9, 1949. As luck would have it, the crew of that flight and Bob would end up spending some nights at this hotel until the plane was fixed and ready to depart.
The very first YB-49 flew from Muroc Air Force Base in California to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., in four hours, 25 minutes to establish a coast-to-coast speed record after which President Truman ordered a flyby over Pennsylvania Avenue at rooftop level to send a message showing the taxpayers what the government was thinking of spending its money on.
The return flight from Andrews was not to be without controversy when four of the eight engines had to be shut down due to oil starva- tion. It appeared that at its stop at Wright field on the return trip, the oil was never checked, or there was a more sinister act in play. In- spection after a successful emergency landing at Winslow Airport, Ariz., revealed no oil had been replaced in these engines at Wright after the Muroc-to-Andrew’s leg, raising a suspi- cion of industrial sabotage.
On their way home with a fal- tering aircraft, when they reached Durango, Colo., it was decided that the best location for an emer- gency landing would be at the Winslow Airport, as it had the lon- gest and flattest approaches with a more than adequate runway for roll out. The small Winslow com- munity, used to the traffic gener- ated by their presence on the fa- mous Route 66, was about to get a visit from a Cold War warrior that would have the highway playing second fiddle in the minds of many people in that region.
With a successful landing, the crowds began to appear and with little or no military presence at the
Courtesy photograph A rare photo showing the YB-49 flying wing being towed at Winslow/Linberg airport.
trip out to the famous old airstrip. After all, I’m Bob and that’s just what I do when in search of a cool story and a history walk in vanished footsteps from years ago.
Out at the field, as the wind whistled
thought back and wondered what that crew ordered up to drink as Bob Cardenas and his band of misplaced airmen wondered how long they would be singing the blues at an airport in
field it fell to
the small lo-
cal Civil Air detachment
to deal with
the security
until the feds
showed up!
The wing
drew crowds
from all over the region and as the plane waited for replacement engines to arrive from Califor- nia, it became a must-see event much to the dislike of the Department of De- fense.
Funny that even the lo- cal newspaper, the Win- slow Mail, detailed the arrival and installation of the new engines in detail and promoted the specta- cle as a public attraction! Hundreds of people came to see the unique plane. Then the day came, on March 2, and hundreds came to the airport to watch the amazing site. Now, back in 1949 it was not a very common sight for the people of a remote town in Northern Arizona, and they eagerly watched as the futuristic flying wing took to the air on its way home.
During our stay, of course, we had to make a
Courtesy photograph
The YB-49 Flying Wing flies over the U.S. Capital in Washington, D.C.
around that old 1930s hanger, I was thinking of the activity in this one lone structure, that for about a month was home for a bunch of Northrop folks and all the equipment that had to be flown in to change out four engines on a YB-49.
Sitting in the old La Posada hotel bar, I
a town that years later would become famous for the line in an Eagles song. What did they think, as they stood “on a corner in Winslow, Arizona,” waiting for four Allison J35-A-15 turbojet engines to show up, maybe even on a “flatbed Ford.”
Until next time Bob out ...
The crew for the record breaking YB-49 flight and the ill-fated return trip plagued with mechanical issues. Celebrating a record-breaking flight in February 1949, the gang poses for the photographer at Andrews AFB outside Washington, D.C. On the far right is Sgt. William Cunningham, the YB-49’s flight engineer, whom a Northrop executive would defame as a saboteur. Beside him is Northrop test pilot Max Stanley, copilot on the flight from Muroc to Andrews. Third from right is Maj.Robert Cardenas, the aircraft commander.
Courtesy photograph
Courtesy photograph
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The Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing flies a test mission.
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Aerotech News and Review
July 8, 2022